Return of Elemental Evil
by Lily Nadesico
Summary: As an horrible evil stirs in the depths of the multiverse, a group of adventurers led by a very unusual gnoll gets more than they bargained for when they decide to oppose the cult of the Princes of Elemental Evil...
1. Chapter 1

**Dungeons & Dragons - Return of Elemental Evil**

**Hiya, fellow D&D fans! Guess few of you ever expected to see me in this section, and instead, here I am with a story inspired by the most famous roleplaying game in the world! Dark shadows are gathering over a world in which creatures from all manner of places and legends live alongside each other... and an equally unusual party will be tasked with trying to understand what lies behind the whole mess, and put a stop to it once and for all!**

**These starting chapters should introduce the party, and will contain statistics for the characters as they are introduced! Sure, that means we'll have to wait a little before getting to the actual story, but just be patient, and I'll get to that too!**

**For now, I just hope these snippets are interesting enough! Of course, reviews are always welcome!**

**D&D and all related trademarks are not mine, they belong to the late Gary Gygax, Wizards of the Coast, and all that jazz. This story has been written for simple amusement, and I'm not going to earn any money from it.**

**With that said, enjoy!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 1 - Felzahn**

The sacrifice room was dark and unsettling, its only illumination coming for lit-up torches on the walls, throwing ephemeral lighting on the altar and the walls... and in the background, a group of hooded adepts was singing an haunting cacophony as they knelt down only a few feet away for the dais. The whole scene was truly terrifying, especially for the small figure clad in rags that had been tied in front of the altar, bearing visible signs of abuse on his thin, tear-stained face as he looked around in desperate search for something, anything that might allow him to get free and escape. But it was all in vain - the ropes tying his wrists and ankles were to tightly wound, and even if he actually managed to get free, there was nowhere he could have run. He knew nothing of that horrible place the cultists had taken him to, a few days ago... and now, even his perception of time was skewed, and he didn't know how many dayas it had been. He could only stand there, hoping for a miracle to happen at the last possible moment to save him from a grisly, inevitable fate...

"The time has come, my faithful!" another hooded figure, dressed in a yellow tunic that was stained in blood from the countless sacrifices he had taken part to, thundered. The unholy chanting grew stronger, unnaturally reverberating through the room, and the light of the torches became stronger, revealing an horrific decoration right behind the altar - a monstrous face looking like a human face mixed with various beasts, sculpted in black marble, whose jaws were wide enough to accomodate a whole human! It was probably a symbol of whatever monstrous creature those cultists venerated... and the child tied to the altar curled up into a ball, as if this could save him anyway...

"The mighty Moloch, our lord and master... beseechs His tribute, which we will offer to Him here and now! A young life, a flower yet to bloom... his innocent soul and his warm blood shall satiate the Eater, will ingratiate us, His disciples and humble servants to Him!" the evil cleric exclaimed with mad zeal, as he unsheathed a sharp dagger from one of his sleeves. He took his hood off with the other hand, revealing a thin face with a curly moustache and short black hair, and sporting a tattoo of a pair of bloody jaws on his forehead, right between the eyes. "Rejoice, my faithful... for this sacrifice will bring the supreme Moloch closer to His awakening... the day where He will take this world as his own, and we will reign at His side as His messangers!"

The fanatics sang louder, in a strange, guttural and unpleasant language that seemed to be coming from the bowels of the earth itself... and the tied-up child began shaking and weeping as the head cultist, slowly and cruelly, walked to him, his dagger held in his right hand. The man crouched down towards his victim, almost affably, and grabbed the child's chin, forcing him to look up. That was when the young victim managed to find it in himself to pray for his life, uttering a few shaky words to the evil priest. "N-no... please... I d-don't wanna... d-die..."

The faux friendly smile on the man's face grew just a little bit wider. "Alas, child... this is not to be. You see... your duty is to quell the mighty Moloch's endless hunger, He chose you as His repast, and He will not settle for anything else. But... do rejoice, for your soul will join the mighty Moloch in the Abyss itself, where you will be able to forevermore sing His praises! Does that... not give you joy?" he asked, completely ignoring the young boy's terrified expression. He seemed to have even lost the will to prey...

"That's right. Do not bother preying to your petty, pitiful deities. They are powerless before the glory of Moloch the Eater." the cleric said, bringing his dagger up. "And now, young one... your throat. That is the place from where your rich crimson blood shall flow to wet our lord's lips."

The man took aim, deliberately prolonging his victim's terror as the cultists' mad chanting reached its peak... and when the priest was sure he had found the right place, he reared his hand back...

*CRAAAAASH!*

*S-ZACK!*

"GWOAAAAAAAAH!"

Just as he was about to inflict the lethal thrust, the priest screamed in agony and fell to the ground convulsing in pain, while all the other acolytes interrupted their chanting and rise to their feet with horrified, indignant screams. A tall and muscular figure had burst into the room, reaching the cleric and striking his side with a large blade mounted on a stick, inflicting him a terrible wound and stopping him from killing the innocent child who had been tied to the altar!

"That bastard god of yours wants blood, huh?" the newcomer growled in indignation, in a loud and snarling voice. "Fine. He can have yours."

"W-What?" the injured priest muttered, his hand tightly pressed upon his wound as he tried to stem the bleeding, taking a good look at the newcomer: he was a tall figure, both lithe and filled with muscles. Had a hyena been able to stand upright and be more than six feet tall, it wouldn't have been very different from him: his lightly pointed ears, his maws filled with pointed fangs, and covered in dirty marroon fur, the mighty-looking warrior was wearing black boots and dust-covered travelling clothes, over which he wore a studded leather jacket. His gloves hands were holding a huge battleaxe, its vicious-looking blade dripping with the evil cleric's blood. There was no mistaking it - it was a gnoll, one of the ferocious race of marauders who had been preying on humanity since time immemorial! However, there was clearly something different about this particular one: his eyes shone with an intelligence and a force of will that was hard to find in those creatures, who were for the most part lazy and dull-witted. And then, to see a gnoll actually helping out a child in need was most unheard of!

"You will not harm this child." the gnoll growled, threatening the rest of the acolytes with his blood-dripping greataxe. "Stay back, and I will not harm you. But if you try and stop me, it won't end well for you!"

"Ugh... you dirty fleabag..." the wounded cleric stammered, trying to regain enough of his bearings to cast an healing spell. "You... have interrupted a sacred ceremony and blasphemed against the great Moloch the Eater! Your punishment shall be most atrocious... you shall be torn apart, and your soul eternally masticated by our lord's thousandfold mouths! Get that blasphemer! Break him! I want to see his guts spilled on the floor!"

With maddened screams, the cultists drew short swords from their vestiments and charged head-on against the gnoll, who wasted no time placing himself between them and their intended victim. With a skilled feint, the humanoid hyena dodged the first lunge and brought his axe around in a vicious roundabout blow... and one split second later, the attacking acolyte let out a chopped-off scream and fell, his abdomed split open by the greataxe's curved edge! Then, with unsuspecting speed, the gnoll turned to another enemy, who was trying to backstab him, and struck him square in the face with the greataxe's handle, before finishing him off with a single slash! In a few seconds, under the disbelieving eyes of Moloch's worshippers, two of the cultists were left dying on the floor... and the remaining three, in their sudden fear, decided that their lives were more important than their cause, and dropped their weapons before retreating to the back of the room.

"You cowards! You fools!" the higher priest bellowed, though he was just as scared as the rest of them. "He's all alone, and there are still three of you! What are you waiting for? Slay him!"

"I don't think you have much leverage left on them..." the gnoll answered with a sarcastic smirk, glaring intimidatingly at the three remaining cultists, and then at the cleric. "Well, I'll ease their fears right now. They're just minions, no need to spill their blood. You, on the other hand... you were about to slit that innocent child's throat. That abomination you worship would have rewarded you for that, right? In this case... there will be no mercy for you!"

The terrified priest tried to retreat to a corner... then, knowing he had no way to escape, he tried one last, desperate resort. "Ugh... a curse befall ye, scum of the forest! In the name of Moloch... I CURSE THEE!" he exclaimed with all the voice he had left, as he raised his right hand, which was enveloped in a rolling cloud of black miasma... and then cast an unholy spell against the gnoll, who widened his eyes for a moment as he struggled to resist it! The demon worsipper smiled sadistically, expecting the hyena-like warrior to drop down and start screaming in pain... therefore, he was understandably shocked when the gnoll, after seemingly failing to resist for a second, stood on his feet and shrugged off the worst of the spell! He was so shocked, in fact, that he could not react in time when the gnoll got in front of him, lifted his greataxe in the air and, with a warlike yell, swung it down upon him!

"Here's what I do with your magic tricks! Die!" the gnoll roared. The deadly blade fell and struck the evil cleric in his chest, cutting through the flesh and shattering his ribcage... and the demon worshipper let out an agonized scream that soondissolved into a gurgle, before collapsing in a pool of blood as thegnoll coldly yanked his weapon out. As the evil cleric weakly thrashed about in his death throes, the gnoll lifted his axe again and brought it down on the priest's neck, separating the head from the rest of the body.

A shocked silence fell as the evil priest's decapitated head rolled on the floor, and the rest of the body shuddered and stood still. One second later, the gnoll raised his glance and ferociously glared at the rest of the cultists, stopping them before they could even take one step.

"Any of you wants to die, just do something stupid." he growled.

Nobody took a single step forward any more, and the gnoll nodded in satisfaction and took a roll of rope from his backpack, before walking up to them and starting tying them up, without them even trying to oppose him. "Anyway, don't worry... the king's soldiers should be here real soon, and they'll lock you in some damp dungeon. A better punishment than you scumbags deserve, if you ask me." he stated, before turning to the still-tied child. Turning all of a sudden a lot nicer, the gnoll nodded to him in a reassuring manner. "It's alright now, kid. We're getting out of this stinking place."

Still scared, the child tried shrinking back, but immediately calmed down as the enormous gnoll bent protectively down on him. "Don't worry, I already dealt with the rest of these fanatics." he stated. "But now we really have to split. The king's soldiers will be here shortly, and I'm not exactly getting along with them..."

"T-thanks... thanks, Mr. Gnoll..." the child thanked as the gnoll carefully took a dagger out of his boots and cut the ropes holding him to the altar. Finally free, the child accepted the gloved hand the gnoll extended to him and stood up, shaking the kinks off his knees. When they were sure everything was under control, the gnoll and the child ran back through the damp corridor the saviour had come from , taking several turns until they finally reached a large staircase that brought them up, once again under the light of the sun! Breathing a sigh of relief, the child shielded his eyes from the light he had almost lost hope to see again, while the gnoll nodded and placed his battleaxe on an holder on his back.

"It's done, kid. You're safe now. Just wait here and the soldiers will take you back to the village." the humanoid hyena stated, before beginning to walk away. However, he stopped in his tracks when the child called after him to ask him a question...

"Hold... hold on a second, warrior! There are a few things I'd like to ask you..." he said, and when the gnoll stopped and looked at him in curiosity, the child cleared his throat and went on. "Thank you... you really saved my life! But.. why did you do it? Mom always told me... that gnolls are cruel and thirsty for blood..."

The gnoll smiled, but it was a bittersweet one. "And she's right. Many of my race are that way. My tribe... was just an exception to the rule. Who knows, maybe they could have been an example to the others." he criptically stated

"Oh? And where's your tribe, right now?" the child went on with painful innocence. The gnoll felt a pang of pain, but managed to hold his emotion in as he answered.

"I wish I knew, kid." he answered. "Maybe what good they did was not enough, and they're in the Abyss now, getting boiled in the Lake of Blood. Or maybe some god took pity on them and brought them to fight alongside the Valkiries in Ysgard... I really don't know. And now... sorry, I really have to go!"

The gnoll turned again and entered the forest, disppearing from the child's sight... but before going away, the hyena-like warrior stopped for one more time and answered to the other question. "Oh, and by the way... my ame is Felzahn. And my mission... is to destroy all those who worship devils and demons!"

Then, a sound of moving leaves accompanied the fierce and noble gnoll as he went deeper into the woods...

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Return of Elemental Evil**

**Chapter 2 - Slaughter**

_While most of their people keeps reveling in their ancestors' cruelty, a few gnoll tribes are trying to shake off barbarism. These tribes always travel with their weapons ready at hand, as they know that the civilized races hate and fear them, and the evil gnoll tribes are already trying to exterminate them. _

_With their bestial strength, and under the cruel scrutiny of the demonic prince Yeenoghu, most gnolls roam the wildlands, searching for sentient beings to prey upon. These savages know nothing of mercy or honor, and scoff at kindness and compassion. The few exceptions to this rule have former small tribes in the forests and prairies, and have begun to grasp the concept of personal honor. Some of them even embrace the strict but just codes of honor that are often adopted by human civilization on the borderlands. Geared towards survival instead of their brethren's cruelty, these gnolls are at a critical standpoint: either they will ally themselves with the civilized races, and will manage to free some of their people from Yeenoghu's yoke; or they will fail, and their tribes will turn once again to evil and brutality..._

**oooooooooo**

_(One year ago...)_

_ooooooooo_

"Hmph... why is it that we have to take pains for such a journey... anybody care to explain that?" a chestnut-haired elf wearing neutral clothing asked annoyedly, as he and his comrades, mounted on magnificent white stallions, marched along a richly-decorated chariot carrying two of their lands' most skilled diplomats, sent by the elven kingdoms for a most important and unusual mission - never before had the elven lands found themselves about to form an alliance with a gnoll tribe! "Imagine, a group of elves stooping to parley with a tribe of filthy gnolls... the scum of the forest! Tch... I still say the best solution would be to simply put those beasts to the sword and raze their dirty huts to the ground! Quick and easy, and we solve the problem once and for all."

"Watch what you are saying, Elgarr... our queen would not be pleased with what you've just said." another elf countered, this one sporting shorter hair but similar clothing. In fact, all members of the company had similar clothing, with finely-chiseled swords hanging from their hips, and all were carrying longbows and several arrows. "The Silverfang tribe gnolls are completely different from most of their kin, and they've given us concrete proof that they are honorable and reliable. If this alliance proposal goes without a hitch, we would gain ourselves a great ally in our struggle against the Cult of the Elemental Eye. In order to be able to beat back such enemies, we need all the help we can get."

The elf named Elgarr shrugged, still unconvinced but not about to discuss his queen's orders. "Whatever you say, Keldoen... I'm just saying I've never met a decent gnoll before!" he answered. "I'm just afraid this alliance could do more harm than good."

"Now, now, let's not fret before the time comes, okay?" a third member of the elven honor guard said diplomatically - he was a tall elf with braided black hair and a piercing on the tip of his left ear. "What's important now is that we are here to solidify this alliance... and if things go well, we'll be able to deal a severe blow to the Cult of the Elemental Eye that has been threatening this world's safety for far too long. Our misgivings towards Yeenoghu's spawn will have to be put aside."

"That is only fair, Reles. To say nothing of the fact that even the elven people are responsible for much ill..." the elf named Keldorn answered.. "And the Silverfang tribe has some very skilled fighters. Even selfishly speaking, we are better off having them as allies than enemies."

"Well then... I just hope our diplomats have their speeches ready, because I think we just entered Silverfang territory." Elgarr concluded as he pointed towards them: in fact, at a good distance in front of them stood a fortified village surrounded by a tall wooden wall, whose gates were guarded by a couple of tall and bulky humanoids similar to hyenas standing on their hind legs, armed with halberds, bows and arrows, and protected with leather armor, standing atop a couple of watchtowers. As soon as the two gnolls saw the group of elves coming closer, they motioned for them to halt and asked them to identify themselves, with two more gnoll guards coming closer to inspect the caravan.

The doors of the carriage opened with a faint sound, allowing the hyena-men to see who was inside of it: two elegant and noble-looking elves wearing silken vestiments fit for high-ranking diplomats: a male elf with a short blond goatee and matching shoulder-length hair, dressed in a blue and white uniform with black boots; and a blonde, curly-haired female elf wearing a white vest and white high-heeled shoes, along with elbow-long silken white gloves. Both had the typical pointed ears the elven race was known for , with elegant features and calm, collected expressions as they introduced themselves to the gnolls. The hyena-men bowed in deference and removed themselves from the path of the carriage, and the village's gates slowly opened up.

"High Queen Vereath's emissaries, from the elven kingdoms of the South." one of the gatekeeper gnolls snarled in the Common tongue. From behind the village gates, several gnoll fighters armed with swords and shields saluted as the diplomats entered, joined by their honor guard composed of swordsmen and archers. Finally, the carriage stopped in the middle of the main square, and the diplomats descended to be greeted by a powerful-looking, grizzled gnoll veteran with greying fur and a scar on the top of his head, who formally bowed to them.

"Remmar Silverfang. Leader of this tribe." the veteran said in surprisingly good Elven. "I hope High Queen Vereath's representatives have had a safe journey, and it is my desire that this meeting might be a first step towards a new era in which our people will walk side by side, instead of drawing sword against each other."

"The same goes for us, esteemed leader of this tribe." the elven woman dressed in white answered. "We thank you for your hospitality... and for your people's demonstrated goodwill."

"Please... guide us to the place where the discussions will take place." the elven male went on. The tribe leader stood up and nodded, inviting the two diplomats and their honor guard to follow him...

**oooooooooo**

That day, not all Silverfang tribesmen had been given the duty to defend the place where the peace meeting was to take place - most low-ranking cadets were following their daily regimen, either training, hunting or busying themselves with menial day-to-day tasks. Several sentries were standing at guardposts along the village walls, standing guard against any possible threat that could have picked that as an ideal day to strike... while several scouts patrolled the terrain around the village, issuing regular reports to their superiors.

The day wasn't much different from usual for Felzahn Thunderrage, a young gnoll cadet who was right then practicing with his favourite weapon - a large two-handed battleaxe with a viciously curved edge, with which he was hacking apart a series of training dummies. At ten years of age - which was the gnoll equivalent of sixteen human years, more or less - Felzahn was considered a promising warrior, capable of channeling his rage and impetus in staggering blows, but he had never taken part in an actual battle, and was mostly known for his reserved, silent demeanor. Concentrating as much as he could, Felzahn held his greataxe firm in front of himself... and then his amber eyes snapped open as he executed a great top-down swing, putting all of his strength into it! The blade descended in a mighty arc and cleaved the training dummy neatly in half, wooden splints and hay scattering all over the training field... while Felzahn breathed out in relief and wiped his forehead with his gloved hand.

"Hmph... not bad, but I can do better." he said in the harsh, snarling language of his people. His attention was caught by a slow, rythmic applause from behind him, and after perking his pointed ears up, the gnoll turned slowly... just in time to see another of his tribe's cadets walking towards him: a female wearing leather armor and holding a strange weapon in her hands - it was composed of a pair of steel bars linked together by a chain. She was quite a bit shorter than Felzahn, which still meant she was quite a bit taller than the average human, and she had crimson fur, pointed ears and a somewhat less elongated head compared to other gnolls... the latter of which immediately denounced her as a flind, a subrace of smaller, smarter, more organized gnolls. Mirrin, this was the female fighter's name, was a female flind that the Silverfang tribe had taken in under circumstances unknown to Felzahn... and for some reason, the gnoll cadet had the distinct impression that he was the member of the tribe Mirrin confided in the most.

"Well, not half bad at all, Felzahn. You aren't considered one of the tribe's most promising fighters for nothing." Mirrin commented, casually holding her unusual weapon. "Not everyone can make that much progress with so many weapons in so little time."

"Thanks, but there's still room for improvement." he answered, refusing to let the praise get to his head. "You are still the most skilled of us, especially when it comes to that strange weapon you're using..."

"That's a flind-bar, for your information." Mirrin explained with a wink, before giving her companion a small show of skill by rapidly swinging her weapon around, one hand grabbing one of the extremities, and the other one catching the opposite part as it flew around. She then kept the strange weapon in tension, in order to show Felzahn its great reach. "Admittedly, it's kind of a difficult weapon to use, but nothing beats it when it comes to disarming an opponent. Anyway... aside from this, the peace dealings are going smoothly. The elves are showing themselves to be more diplomatic than I expected."

A rare smile appeared on Felzahn's face. "Well, that's good to know at least. Looks like our tribe will finally be able to join the civilized race and start pulling the gnoll race out of its savagery."

"We are in agreement on that..." Mirrin answered, casting her eyes in the direction of the main village. Afterwards, the flind-girl turned to Felzahn and smirked in a challenging way. "Well, as long as the big bosses do their thing, how about we have a sparring match? It's been some time since we did it last time!"

Felzahn nodded sagely. "No problem for me! You can be sure I'll win this one!"

"Is that so? That's what we're going to see soon, my dear!"

**oooooooooo**

Sitting at a large oak tree, in the Silverfang village's largest building, the diplomats of both factions were engaged in an intense debate, trying to meet in the middle about their requests and agree on a mutually advantageous solution. It wasn't an easy endeavor - despite the fact that both had come with the best intentions of finding an agreement, both were also trying to cut themselves a good deal, and gain as much as they could from that deal. Luckily, diplomacy was doing its share, and the two factions were getting to a pleasing deal for both of them.

"Therefore... the Silverfang tribe vows to do everything in their power to support the elven people in eliminating the cult of Elemental Evil from their lands." Remmar was saying, staring firmly at the elven diplomats. "Our best hunters and trackers will have no problem finding their hideouts, even the most well-hidden ones, and take down those dangerous fanatics. The combined action of our armed forces should suffice to silence the menace."

"The elven people are satisfied with this deal, and will take all the necessary steps to make sure the Silverfang tribe, and all allied tribes, are accepted in elven society, and will be able to entertain peaceful relationships with this world's other civilized races." the blue-wearing elven ambassador answered. "Furthermore, the elven people will assist the Silverfang tribe against their enemies, the savage gnoll tribes and the demon worshippers."

The blonde elven woman nodded. "That sounds fair to me. Speaking of which, our nations should agree on a representative for each, acting as a warrant for mutual safety."

"There is no doubt about it." Remmar answered. "However, there is a problem that should be addressed..."

"**AAAAAAARGH**!"

A piercing, pained scream interrupted the gnoll leader, and all the people reunited there jumped on their seats... and a split second after that, a series of explosions and flashes of blinding light from the outside. Soon after, more screams, exclamations, curses... and roars that had nothing human resonated in the building, as both factions' soldiers, both elven and gnoll, grabbed their weapons and gathered close to the peace ambassadors!

"What the..." Remmar grunted, unsheathing his sword - an impressive weapon forged in cold wrought iron - and standing on guard along his men. Several huts had been set on fire in a few seconds, and the inhuman screams were getting louder and louder with each passing moment! "What the hell is going on? What's the meaning of this?"

"We're under attack!" an elven soldier shouted, keeping his bow ready. Soon after, the unknown enemy approached the building... and everyone present could do nothing but watch in horror as monstrous, deformed creatures, coming in a myriad nightmarish forms, burst inside from doors and windows, casually shattering walls and wooden frames! Monsters in the form of red-furred gorillas... malformed, wart-ridden humanoids holding pike-like weapons in their hands... hideous crosses between man and buzzard... spiderlike horrors with legs splayed chaotically over their whole bodies... it was a veritable gallery of horrors, and the broken corpses of elves and gnolls that were getting already scattered on the streets didn't help! Snarling and gibbering, the unknown monsters began approaching the diplomats, and Remmar grit his teeth, knowing just what kind of things they were dealing with...

"Demons..." the gnoll leader murmured, frantically clutching his sword. With a slash, he took down one of the monsters climbing from the window, causing it to fall upon its companions and slow them down a little. "What... what's the meaning of this? How could those fiendish beings locate us? All the defenders to me! We'll need every last fighter to defeat them!"

"My... my faithful elves, come to me!" the male elven diplomat exclaimed. "Prepare for defence! We'll have to help our allies escape from here!"

"I'm afraid it won't be easy..." the female diplomat said. The streets surrounding the building had turned into an orgy of blood and violence, and the noise of the screaming demons laying into anyone they met was deafening! "We should try to reach for the exit and... AAAAAAH!"

"Laradel, no!" the other diplomat exclaimed as, in a moment of pure shock, a jagged blade plunged into her back and went out of her chest in a spray of crimson blood! The elven woman collapsed to the ground in her final moments... and much toeveryone's shock and horror, the tall figure of a black-haired elf with a braid, holding the murder weapon in his right hand and looking arrogantly at the rest of the frightened honor guard! "Wh... WHAT? Soldier Reles, what's the meaning of this treachery..."

"It means... you all fell into our trap!" said the one who, just a moment ago, had looked like a loyal elf soldier. With a terrifying smirk, the traitorous elf concentrated for a second... and his hair shook themselves loose from the braid they were tied in, as his eyes lit up a dangerous red, and large batlike wings unfurled from his back! His teeth lengthened into menacing fangs, and his fingernails turned into razor-sharp claws, while all the others stepped back in front of that hideous transformation!

"Reles... you... you are a demonic half-blood!" another elven soldier exclaimed, receiving a victorious grin in exchange.

"A feyri, please." Reles corrected. "A demon-blooded elf."

Remmar roared in indignation. "You treacherous cur!" he roared, lifting his sword and charging at the demon elf. But just when it seemed Reles was going to fall to the gnoll veteran's blade, a gigantic hand emerged from the ground right in front of him, followed by the rest of a monstrous, muscle-bound body covered in lurid brown fur, with the head of a blood-eyed bison, bloodstained curved horns and an heavy iron ring hooked on the nose! With a deafening mooing, the demon climbed out of the fissure and launched itself at the honorguard, crushing the hapless elves under its huge feet, while Reles took flight and flew away from a gash in the roof above, laughing insanely and enjoying the slaughter...

Soon, the desperate resistance put up by the defenders would be overwhelmed by the demons' numbers and ferocity, as all manner of hideous things came bursting from windows and doors like a raging river, screaming and snapping their jaws! Elves and gnolls were soon submerged in a tidal wave of blood, steel, screams and atrocities, while Reles flew above the carnage and headed to the hills just outside of the doomed village...

"Hehehee... all just as planned!" Reles exclaimed. "My superiors will be pleased to see that soon, the Silverfang tribe will be no more!"

**oooooooooo**

"What... what the heck is going on?" Felzahn exclaimed in fear and confusion, he and Mirrin interrupting their sparring match as soon as the first sounds of battle were heard. "What's with all that smoke and screaming?"

"Dunno, but something serious is going down here..." the flind girl snarled, holding both of her flind-bar's extremities. The screams and noise filling the air were apocalyptic, and the smell of rot and sulphur didn't help at all... "Quick, Felzahn! We have to go and help!"

"No need to tell me twice!" the taller warrior exclaimed as he grabbed his greataxe and got ready to fight. It was his first actual battle, and he had to admit that he was rather afraid... but the desire to protect his own tribe was stronger than his misgivings, and both warriors raced towards the main square...

What they saw went beyond their wildest nightmares. The village had been literally gutted by an horde of demons that seemed to have come out of the earth itself, and were now abandoning themselves to wanton violence and carnage! Devastated corpses, both elven and gnoll, were scattered on the ground, turned into hideously mutilated bags of flesh; the immense bison-headed demon had completely destroyed the diplomatic offices, and was now holding the broken body of a gnoll warrior, playing with it like it was a doll and shrugging off the attacks from many other warriors who were trying to put a stop to it. Malformed creatures endlessly writhed in that hellish scenario... and soon after, the demons saw two more targets and turned to them in bloodlust!

"No... no... I... I can't believe this!" Felzahn stammered in horror... but he had no time to just stand there, as a red-furred simian demon with a ferocious grin stamped on its face and wide six-fingered hands dashed at him on all fours, its slavering maws snapping together in its craving for flesh to devour! "Aaarrrgh! Mirrin, we have to fight for our lives here!"

The female fighter knew that it was probably going to be hopeless... but she wasn't the kind of person to just give up without a fight! "I'm going to do my very best! Hah!" she exclaimed, thrusting forward with her flind-bar and hitting the monkey demon right in the face! Such a blow would have easily shattered the jaw of any creature on Earth... but the demon was simply stunned for a couple seconds, as Felzahn raised his greataxe and slashed towards another demon, a tall and lanky humanoid covered in a tarry black fluid. The blade bit the demon's side... but failed to cut as deep as the gnoll expected, and the demon simply swayed for a moment before finding its footing again, grinning savagely, and protending its lurid claws towards Felzahn!

"Ugh... curses! Our weapons don't have much of an effect on there things!" Felzahn growled. "Mirrin, we have to get out of here! We are too vulnerable here!"

Mirrin barely dodged the simian demon's sharp claws, and managed to grab its thick arm with her flind-bar and drag it to the ground in a spectacular move. "Ugh... you're right, but how can we save the village if we..."

"I'll... I'll think of something! For now, let's try to save ourselves and as many as we can!" Felzahn exclaimed. Close by, a group of hideous demons looking like random mismashes of bones and claws, covered in a chitinous armor and with a single unblinking red eye jutting out of a tangle of spikes in the center of their bodies, approached with an hellish ticking noise...

**oooooooooo**

With a piercing scream, a monkey demon crumpled to the ground, under the relentless assault from the elves' swords and arrows, and the gnolls' axes. Two elves and three gnolls were upon it in an instant and mercilessly began striking it again, until thedemon ceased struggling, and its body dissolved into a foul-smelling paste. But therewas no time to rejoice - more demons, more than the village's defenders could handle, were upon the soldiers in a few moments, continuing their atrocities... and one of the elven warriors was grabbed by one of the vulture demons, who quickly immobilized him and dragged him upwards, several dozen feet above the ground, where he was quickly joined by two more demons of the same kind. The elf screamed and thrashed in an attempt to free himself, but his torturer was far too strong for him... the vulture demons grabbed him with their claws, bloodily savaged him, then dropped him towards the ground, laughing and mocking him all the while.

Then, while the hapless elf's screaming had not died down yet, one of the vulture demons screamed something in the Abyss' foul language... and its two companions joined hands with him and formed a circle, as if they were playing ring-around-the-rosey. Together, the three vulture demons began dancing frantically, emitting horrible screams that almost smothered the noise of the battle below, as arcs of destructive energy began darting among them...

**oooooooooo**

Remmar was fighting with all of his might... and thanks to his brave guidance, the gnolls had managed to put up at least some resistance: Remmar himself had taken out a sizeable number of demons, and just then he had decapitated one of them, a horrid cross between an eel and a crocodile. Its head kept snapping its jaws for a few moments, frantically craving more flesh to devour, then lay still along with the body. For some reason, Remmar's sword, made in cold-wrought iron, was having an easier time cutting through the demons' hides.

Still, it was clear that those few successes weren't really going to make a difference: the gap between the two forces was just too large, and there seemed to be no end to the number of demons. A little farther away for him, Remmar managed to see as a huge four-armed, wolf-headed purple demon with pincers instead of hands simply ripped the elven ambassador's head from his neck, by simply grabbing his hair and pulling. Little remained of the village that hadn't been destroyed and fouled by the demons, and the terrain was slick with the blood of the fallen elves and gnolls, mixing with some disgusting demonic ichor. This was it... there was no need for the veteran's acumen to understand that the Silverfang tribe was at its last stand.

"Dammit... if this keeps up, we'll be a bunch of lambs to the slaughter!" Remmar growled. "Quick! We need to evacuate the village! All the survivors need to reach the gates, before..."

"Chief, look at that! What are those demons doing?" another warrior exclaimed, pointing at the three vulture demons still dancing savagely in midair. A few more triplets of the same kind of demons had gathered and had begun their screaming, frenzied dance, with huge discharges of energy gathering among the monsters... and Remmar's eyes widened in horror as he realized what they were doing!

"Those vrocks are doing... the Dance of Ruin!" he managed to murmur, as his sword dropped to the ground with a metallic clang.

And those were his last words.

The horde of demons screamed in frienzied triumph as the vulture demons, which Remmar had identified as 'vrock', completed their dance... and a huge column of destructive energy erupted from the ground and burst upwards, swallowing and consuming all in its way... bar the other demons, who were somehow immune to its destructive effect. Elves and gnolls screamed as they were consumed, along with streets, houses, anything had somehow resisted the demonic onslaught...

"_I am sorry..._" Remmar managed to think before the Dance of Ruin dissolved him as well. "_My brothers... forgive me... I could not save you..._"

**oooooooooo**

Felzahn's greataxe found another mark, almost splitting an insectoid demon in two halves and sending it to the ground in a pool of dense, foul-smelling blood, as Mirrin's flind-bar strangled a low-rank demon looking like a small, black humanoid monster with hollow eyes and a slobbering mouth. They were holding their own, no doubt, but they weren't going to last much longer in that situation, with all those monsters, and with their weapons having less of an effect than they should have had. The gnoll grabbed his greataxe again and panted, in a desperate attempt to regain some strength, while Mirrin threw the corpse of the demon she had just slain at the other monsters...

And that was when the Dance of Ruin burst forth in all of its might.

An enormous beam of light erupted from the ground, consuming all in its path except the demons... and Felzahn, struck by a stray pulse of energy, roared in rage and pain as he was lifted from the ground and tossed away like a fallen leaf in the wind. His world dissolving into a blinding white light and an ear-shattering thundering noise, he was barely able to hear the screams and laughter of the demonic horde that was slaughtering his tribe... and the figure of Mirrin, vainly extending her hand towards him.

"GRAAAAAAH!" the young gnoll roared. "C-curses... I can't believe... how can it... end... like..."

**oooooooooo**

Reles spread his wings as he landed on a small hill, several yards away from the village, enjoying the horrifying sight of the Dance of Ruin doing its grisly job and consuming the village of the gnolls who had tried to sever their link to their demonic patron, and to walk under the light of the sun. To the demonic elf's eyes, it was a truly stupendous sight - and a testament to the righteous fate of all those who dared turn away from the Abyss!

"Hehehee..." he giggled, staring in wonder at the consuming flames, and enjoying the demons' triumphant calls, and the death screams of both elves and gnolls. "That was quick and easy. And with that, the Silverfang tribe is no more... may this be a warning to all those who would oppose the almighty Tharidzun!"

A couple of shadowy figures emerges behind the demon-blooded elf, who turned to them with a sinister smile. "Well, Master Kalbeil? Brother Ganados? What do you say to that? I think our allies have done a great job of it! You should have seen the faces those idiots did, when they realized they were done for! It was simply hilarious!"

The first figure, a human dressed in a gothic-looking clerical garb, and holding a staff whose tip was decorated with a sinister collecting of chopped-off fingers, nodded seriously at the sight of the doomed village. "Hm. You did a good job, Reles. Our lord and master Ogremoch shall be most pleased." he said, his hand caressing his staff like it was a kitten. "With this, we have dealt a decisive blow to all those who would oppose the almighty Tharizdun's truth."

"My only regret was not being able to join the party! Hehehee..." the other figure, a huge gnoll with greying fur, glowing red eyes and wearing a pitch black plate armor, growled mockingly, his right hand holding a huge sword, and large batlike wings sprouting from his back. "Well, no matter, we still got what we came for! We can even leave now, I don't think anything survived that massive Dance of Ruin!"

"Our vrocks have done a great job. I knew we could trust them." the man answered, never once betraying any emotion. "Fine then. I will call for a retreat. After or demons have made sure nobody survived, that is."

As the rampaging spawn of the Abyss snuffed out the last remaining lives in the Silverfang village, the High Priest of Tharizdun, Kalbeil the Adjudicator, turned his wrinkled lips upwards in a smile. "_Yes... what we have done here... shall be repeated soon! This disgusting world will be destroyed... along with all the disgusting lifeforms that crawl upon it!_" he thought to himself.

Tharizdun's triumph was almost complete...

**oooooooooo**

Felzahn knew that he was still alive when he began feeling a splitting headache, and his keen sense of smell caught the stench of blood and cinder still hanging in the air. The gnoll cadet growled in pain and tried getting up... but he found it hard to do so, as his body was littered with cuts, bruises and burns. After a few minutes spent clearing his thoughts, Felzahn managed to stagger to his feet, getting out of the bushes he had fallen into, and rubbed his eyes with his hand, in an attempt to more quickly restore his own sight...

"Ugh... curses... my village... what... what just happened..." he growled, trying to shake off his sense of vertigo. Finally, after spending a few minutes in a stunned haze, the gnoll cadet was able to see again, to look around... and to finally realize the veritable horror that the servants of the Cult of Elemental Evil had done to his village...

Felzahn's eyes widened, and his axe almost dropped out of his hands. It was a truly horrific sight, one that could only be seen in some kind of feverish nightmare: His village was now laying in front of him, turned into an irrecognizable mound of ashes littered in mutilated, half-devoured, tortured, broken corpses. Lopped-off limbs, torn hunks of flesh, mangled heads and all sort of horrific sights were visible... it was clear that the demons had tried to make their victims' deaths as slow and horrible as they possibly could. Nothing remained of the buildings and huts that composed the village, aside from a few charred and ruined husks, and the bloodied weapons of those that had vainly tried to defend themselves...

The Silverfang village was no more, and all those who lived there... all but one... had been massacred with mercy.

"No... this... this cannot be..." Felzahn stammered, frozen in his place, his eyes staring at nothing. A feeling of sorrow and impotent rage was rolling around in his chest, like a fire that was slowly burning, but was about to erupt into an inferno. "My friends... my people... Mirrin... Chief Remmar... How... how could this happen... all gone... just like that..."

The pain soon turned into fury. After a few seconds spent in a shocked daze, unable to process what his eyes were seeing... Felzahn grabbed his greataxe with both hands, lifted it over his head... and with a great scream of rage and sorrow, he plunged it in the burnt ground right in front of himself.

"RAAAAAAARGH!" Felzahn lifted his head to the heaven and roared in vengeance. "CURSE YOU FOR ALL TIME, SPAWN OF THE ABYSS! I will not let it end like this! I swear on my life, whoever did this will pay! I am Felzahn, the sole survivor of the Silverfang tribe... and I will avenge my brothers! Whoever did this... mark my words! I AM GOING TO COME FOR YOU ONE DAY! RAAAAAAARGH!"

Felzahn's rage-filled, despairing roar echoed upon the ruins, a vow of vengeance that would change his life forever...

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Extra Content**

**And now, our protagonist's stats!**

**FELZAHN CR 3**

Gnoll barbarian 2

**Chaotic Good Medium humanoid (gnoll)**

**Initiative** +1; **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +9, Spot +7

**Languages** Gnoll, Common

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**Armor Class** 15 (+1 natural, +3 studded leather, +1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 15

**Hit Dice** 2d8+6 + 2d12+6 (41 hit points)

**Saves: Fortitude** +9; **Reflex** +1; **Will ** +4

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**Speed** 40 ft.

**Melee** Masterwork greataxe +10 (1d12+7 / x3) or

dagger +8 (1d4+5 / 19-20)

**Ranged** Masterwork longbow +5 (1d8 / x3)

**Base Attack** +3; **Grapple **+8

**Attack Options** Rage

**Combat Gear** 2 _potions of healing_

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**Abilities: Strength **20; **Dexterity** 12; **Constitution **16

**Intelligence **12; **Wisdom** 15; **Charisma **7

**Special Attacks** Fast movement, rage (1/day)

**Special Qualities **Uncanny dodge

**Special Weaknesses** Illiteracy

**Feats** Iron Will, Weapon Focus (greataxe)

**Skills** Climb +8, Craft (weaponsmith) +3, Jump +9, Listen +9, Spot +7, Swim +9

**Possessions** Combat gear, masterwork greataxe, dagger, masterwork longbow with 20

arrows, masterwork studded leather armor, standard adventurer equipment

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**Rage (Ex): **Once per day, Felzahn can fly into a bloody rage, gaining phenomenal strength and durability but becoming less able to defend himself. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. While raging, Felzahn cannot use any Charisma, Dexterity or Intelligence based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate and Ride), nor can he activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand) or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has. A fit of rage lasts for 8 rounds (3 rounds + Felzahn's newly improved Constitution modifier). At the end of the rage, Felzahn loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity, cannot charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter. Entering a rage takes no time in itself, but Felzahn can only do it during his action, not in response to someone else's action.

**Uncanny Dodge (Ex): **Felzahn has the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally alllow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class if immobilized.


End file.
